Hot-wire anemometers are commonly employed as air flow sensors in automobiles, ventilators, and similar equipment. A hot-wire anemometer utilizes a variable resistor, also known as a “hot-wire” resistor, that has a resistance proportional to its temperature to form one arm of a Wheatstone bridge circuit. The other arms of the bridge circuit contain other resistors, one or more of which may also be variable. A power supply is connected across one pair of terminals of the bridge circuit, while an indicator device is connected across the other pair of terminals of the bridge circuit. As current passes through the hot-wire resistor, the temperature of the resistor increases. However, as the airflow past the hot-wire resistor increases, the resistor is cooled, altering its resistance. The resulting resistance imbalance in the bridge circuit, as sensed by the indicator device, is an indication of the mass airflow rate passing the hot-wire resistor.